Sunday 19 July 2020

Neath Riverside - A Slice of 1960s South Wales

Scale OO / 1:76
Click on images for a bigger view..

I've been working on this layout commission for much of the year alongside other projects. It’s a new build supported with some wonderful secondhand buildings salvaged from a layout by ace model maker Iain Robertson. The station area seen here is housed in a 6ft x 18 inch diorama case. It is the first of several scenes that link together.

The railway room that this destined to live in has grown significantly since taking on the commission, so a colliery and further rural scene are under currently construction. These will extend the layout by around 300%.... more to follow..
A watery scene - the tide is out, so probably a smelly location. No supermarket trolleys, they're more a feature of modern times!

A Western Region Stanier 2-8-0 trundles through Neath Riverside past a few coal bins. The trackplan is based on an Iain Rice design from the 1980s.
Looking towards the twin tunnel portals - this is in fact a junction - the Class 22 coming off a military line with a van train.

Shunting the river side yard. Extensive use has been made of the recent Peco Bullhead range, which creates that hand-built look with ease.

July 2020 Model Rail magazine features the first of a 2 part series on Neath Riverside explaining the construction in greater detail https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/model-rail-july-2020